2356: What Makes Us Human
by Lisa Bender
Summary: "2356: What Makes Us Human" is a story about a girl named Fay, who lives in a city where the mindrain never took place. All the other cities suffer from problems the Rusties had. Maybe the mindrain was not a good idea? This is her story.
1. Year 2356 Month March Day 1

A/N: welcome to my first fanfic :) I hope you'll enjoy reading this! First chapter is rather short as I need to establish a "scene". Westerfeld and Uglies don't belong to me! Reviews are always appreciated xx

The sun was setting and the whole skyline glowed in a radiant gold, the wind whispering and the air carrying the promise of a soon-to-be warm and cheerful spring.

Fay, who was having fun with her hoverboard and oblivious of the time, gilded over the hill tops, which surrounded her nearby accommodation. Living there since five years didn't make it easier to grasp the idea of leaving soon. Not that she would be opposed to it. She wanted to be pretty, to be desired. But still, she would not be the same again. People were rarely seen after the "Change", and somehow she was thankful, that she would not have to look at their faces and become green with envy.

A ping brought back her attention.

~ Pug-la, where are you? If you are late again, you are done!~

Fay gave him the honor to reply, and did not miss to sigh at the prospect of her small claustrophobic dorm.

However, she knew that the wardens were keeping a close eye on her, after she deliberately set some substances on fire in chemistry class. But it was fun.

Sadly, the teacher's trust lessened after the "incident" and since she loved science, especially biology and chemistry, she experienced a hard time, after not being allowed to work on her own in the lab anymore.

Fay looked dismissive at her ping, turned her hoverboard around and headed back home.

"Tell me again", she insisted, while holding her tray and walking towards the cantine tables. "Are you deaf or something?", replied her friend with slight amusement in his voice. "I swear, this idea must be from the city governors. No one is..." She searched for a word to fill in, while placing the tray on the table and sitting down. "Behind than this", she finished. He shrugged and sat down next to her. "You know, just because we have to return to our dorms at ten o'clock now, doesn't mean we can't have fun anymore", Clayton replied. "Still", Fay insisted, "we are no kids." She picked up her fork and started eating, while keeping her other thoughts to herself. "That is probably why", Clayton said after a while.


	2. Year 2356 Month April Day 1

2356|04|01

Fay woke up with a jolt, remembering that today she would get her allowance for her single lab work back again. Her interface ring pinged, displaying the current time (7AM). Despite being early, Fay changed into some comfortable clothes and grabbed her hoverboard. A shower later, before breakfast, would suffice anyway as she would be dirty after her flying trip, no matter what. She was glad that everything had worked out so far- she had kept a low profile since the "chem incident" and tried to avoid trouble whenever possible. The Ugly was positive that it would stay this way. Tonight, she would visit the "people across the river" and hoped she could go and leave unnoticed. Crossing the river was strictly forbidden and if she got caught, she would go through hell, facing a punishment worse than losing her lab license again. Fay left her dorm silently and activated her crash bracelet- she did not fancy broken bones. The sun slowly rose, and coloured the blooming trees in a golden shine, and Fay could not help but feeling happy and well since months. She forgot her ugly face, the names Uglies called each other, and much more, while she flew through the amusement park, enjoying the silence and loneliness. She arrived at the flat silvery river, the chilling breeze coming from the water made her turn up the heat of her thermos jacket. The skyscrapers were dark, the Pretties just gone to bed, and the cleaning robots were left to do the work. And this evening, they would be all ready to party again, trying to drink away a massive hungover, having fun and then going to bed in the early morning. Same procedure again and again. It seemed dull, but it was the time of your life. Her interface ring around her index finger vibrated, signalling a new incoming voice call. "Yes Clayton?", she asked while staring at the river. "I wanted to ask where you are, but the wind is more talkative than you. What are you doing there, it is time for breakfast, our awesome dorm mummy was asking for you." Breakfast? Had she been lost in her thoughts for this long? "Fay?", inquired Clayton. "Yes, yes", Fay answered quickly. "I will be right over."

She tried to hurry, as she still wanted to have a shower before meeting her annoying dorm "mother" Alis- of whom she did not know her last name, since people never used them anyways. Fay had to look decent and be polite, while avoiding annoying questions that did not seem to end whenever she did something considered abnormal. She quickly jumped into the shower, passed ten minutes or so in the steaming water, before changing into a new fit of clothes, she had requested from the hole in the wall. She decided she would not be any prettier by looking into the mirror, so she hurried in order to secure the last few glasses of freshly pressed orange juice. She bumped into Alis (and wish it did not happen), while murmuring a greeting before heading on as quickly as possible. "Fay, if you would come here, please", she requested. Fay turned around, praying it wouldn't be long. "Yes?" "I just wanted to remind you, that you have your license back. However,", she did an artistic pause "I would prefer it, if you would come over for a new instruction after lunch. We want to be sure that you still know all the security measurements." Fay nodded and smiled. "I will remember doing so", she said formally, and a nod from Alis told her that she was released from the conversation.

Fay walked towards the table, sat down and greeted Clayton. "Morning, what were you doing in the park this early?" She smirked. "Watching." "Watching?", he repeated, wearing a confused expression. "Yup. For my later activities tonight." He still looked at her, his confusion replaced with a frown. "You can't be serious. You are not crossing the river. Remember what we said!" He had lowered his voice but couldn't quite restrain himself, thus he got louder the longer he spoke. "You!" Fay slammed her glass down the table, causing people around to stare at them. "Are not my parent." She clenched her teeth together. "If you go I will report you to the wardens", he threatened her in return, like a small annoying kid. Their relationship got worse and worse since months, Clayton, the immature boy, was opposed to any activities that were not allowed and feared he would be punished as well if she got caught. He was scared he wouldn't wind up pretty even though no one heard about such a drastic punishment before. "You know what, leave me alone. You are such a coward", she growled, standing up and leaving the cantine with a loud bang, slamming the door close. Fuming, she went to her room, ranting about incompetence and cowardice, and how she could have been so dumb to befriend Clayton in the first place. Her room came up with wonderful ideas on how to solve the problem, it even advised her she should go see a therapist.

There was someone knocking on her door, probably Alis but Fay wasn't sure. She left her room five hours later, a little bid calmer than she was before, hoping that she could eat some of the leftovers the cantine had every day. They actually had some portions left, she got herself some spaghetti with chilli and avocados, and took it to her room as she didn't fancy seeing Clayton anywhere near her for the rest of the day. Fay was sure, that Clayton and her were over with each other, probably for the best, but she had lost her only friend in this place. "Only one month left", she whispered to herself as if she had to speak it out loud in order to not lose her sanity.

She decided that it wasn't a good idea to sneak across the river tonight, since Clayton couldn't keep his mouth shut. She'd have to wait a week or so before she could risk crossing the river without getting into trouble. Her first mission though would be befriending new people. Folks, who like a good laugh, some adventures (but not too many) and most importantly stick together. Unfortunately, she couldn't think of anyone that fit those requirements. She replayed different strategies over and over in her head when she suddenly remembered that Alis awaited her in the lab. She ran out of the room and took the staircase on her left side of the corridor.

Fay stared at the skyscrapers across the river glimmering in the darkness. They looked like dancing thin elegant fairies- built out of glass and steel. Laughter. Fireworks.

She smiled, closed the window, and said: "Goodnight."


	3. Year 2356 Month April Day 11

2356|04|11

Sunlight perched through the lab´s windows when Fay woke up. Her back hurt really bad and she was sure that her face was red and her eyes swollen. What she just experienced was definitely not a beauty sleep. Apparently, Fay had worked on some experiment until she fell asleep and even missed her interface ring´s "breakfast reminder" which usually woke her up every morning. The horrible fight between her and Clayton was almost two weeks ago, but the situation didn't change for the better- yet. And for now, she couldn't care less, she was rather thankful. Of course, her life got boring and Fay was somehow desperate to make new friends or acquaintances she could trust. But life wasn't easy, certainly not to her. She rubbed her eyes and stifled a yawn, that threatened to escape her. Fay had been at the hospital, yesterday, her measurements were taken again (like every week) as the operation came nearer and nearer. The calendar in her interface calculated 30 days and 23 hours, which didn't help her at all. Fay did face morphs more and more frequently, wishing the "Change" would be soon over. As much as she looked forward to it, as much she was scared of the operation. That it didn't work, or maybe, she feared the awkward feeling of her new bones or her body in general. She wasn't sure. Next week, her class would learn about the operation and its procedures and somehow, she didn't fancy the experience, she bet it was gross. Slowly she stood up, tidying up her working space, while planning the rest of her day. The Ugly had heard of a clique last week which was experienced in hoverboarding and rule breaking (the last point could also be a rumour) and she planned on meeting some of them, maybe picking up one or two tricks. Fay idled through the park as soon as the lab looked decent again. Her hoverboard followed her, sometimes knocking against her ankles, when she came to an abrupt stop. She heard laugher, echoing between the trees, becoming lauder the more she approached its source.

All Uglies were riding hoverboards, some even together. Most of them wore no crash bracelets at all, which she would never risk doing, as she still fell from time to time. They looked like real pros, the hoverboards adapting to them than the other way around. "Hey, you", called a harsh voice, causing her to jump and quit her staring. "What are you doing there?" A boy glided towards her, rather skinny, with an unfriendly facial expression but not an ugly one either, and looked at her mistrustful. "I was going for a walk, when I heard you guys", Fay replied unsure. "Then you can go, now." Fay crossed her arms. "Well no, actually I was looking for you. I had hoped that you all know a way out of the city." The group was silent, all eyes fixed on her. "Of course, we do", said a girl´s voice. "But we can't trust you." Fay did not know what to say. "Perhaps she can pass a test", one of the group members recommended. The unfriendly Ugly, who had wanted her to leave earlier, had a displeased facial expression and her insides stirred with hot anger. "I think crossing the river is a good task. Have you done this before?", asked the girl. Fay shook her head. "Tomorrow night, we will see you at this spot", she ordered in return and Fay smiled. She could do that, hopefully. The group rose up on their hoverboards again, looking down to her from ten metres above, before speeding away. She was left behind, the laughter edging on her nerves. She snapped her fingers and jumped on her hoverboard, flying back to her dorm as quickly as possible. She had some planning to do.


	4. Year 2356 Month April Day 12

Hi guys, it's Lisa here. I hope you enjoy this chapter. I'm looking for a beta reader btw- in order to reduce the grammar and spelling mistakes I have (not a native speaker) I would love to have a review btw :)

Thirdly I will establish own words throughout the book eg. Rusties are called Babrian (notice the similarity to barbarian? :p) I figured that since cities in Uglies used to be isolated (before mindrain) language might develop differently. But at the same time they share some words like Pretty/ Pretties because of the Pretty Committee...

And last but not least: I got the whole story planned. This will either wind up as a duology or triology! It might be the case that Tally will be introduced in the END of book one!

2356|04|12

Fay carefully thought out a plan, as she prepared her trip across the river. She had categorized her adventure as highly dangerous and she couldn't quite say if it was worth the risk. She had got herself a heating pad and some medicines, in order to keep up the act of being sick. Her heating pad would create the illusion of her laying in the bed faking body heat.

The sun sunk behind the trees of the suburbs and she laid the heating pad under her pillows, which she had formed to look like a human body. Her interface ring was placed on her nightstand next to her bed. Since the dorm door was locked, she had to find another way out of her "prison".

After she had fought out a inner battle yesterday, she haf decided to go for a fall out of her room's window. Fay opened it and stared down five stories. She grabbed her hoverboard and wrapped her arms around it. Wearing no crash bracelets, as there was no consent if they were traceable or not, Fay hoped she wouldn't end up as human jam on the grass below. Slowly she climbed out, paying extra attention that she didn't hit her window and caused loud alarming noises, which wasn't easy, with her legs swinging freely and her right arm being dragged down by the hoverboard's weight. She had to stabilize it horizontally before the hover mechanism would pick up the magnetic force field or whatever was buried beneath the soil, and she tried and tried to do so, but the hoverboard seemed dead and she just couldn't give it a try if dropping the hoverboard would activate it. Then she would be out there with nothing and this possibility made her heart beat increase. Fay had no choice, her arms shaking with exhaustion, she had to go for the unknown fall.

The wind pressed against her face as she hugged her hoverboard like her life depended on it, and actually it did. She wasn't sure if she would end up dead or come out alive with many broken bones and she wasn't keen on finding out either. The ground came nearer and nearer like a dark dooming shadow. And even though it happened so fast, she experienced it slowly like it would be her life's last seconds coming to an end. Ticking. Tick. Tick.

The air was pressed out of her lungs. Caughing and almost throwing up, Fay was pressed down on her hoverboard keeping her from falling while gravity did his own job. She got saved by her small technical miracle, and she looked down, noticing that she was two floors above the ground. Her ribs hurt and she feared that she would have some serious bruises tomorrow. She sunk to the ground, rolling on the cool grass, the vegetation tickling on her face. She fought for air, as she slowly stood up. Fay told herself that she was in full control of the situation.

She moved in the shadows carefully as she tried to avoid leaving traces. Some wardens flew through the park casting scary shadows with bright lights coming from their hovercars. Fay's nerves were on high alert, every snapping twig or other noise brought her near to a breakdown. Maybe she wasn't suited for this at all. When Fay felt more safe, she rose up on her hoverboard , trying to orientate herself and find a way through the jungle of trees, avoiding any light sources or other technology that might pick up body heat.

She found them hidden in the trees, muttering to each other until one of them looked up. "Well hello there", the girl from yesterday greeted Fay, seated on the tree's branch right above her head. Fay snapped her fingers and rose up to her. "We were scared that you won't show up", she continued and Fay noticed a boy hiding higher in the tree. Fay greeted both and she got told that they would watch and follow her crossing the river. "All right?" Fay nodded in return and instructed them to follow her path through the thick old trees. Suddenly Fay got ordered to rise up higher from the ground than she already was, signalling that it probably was a dare. Fay did so carefully, as she wore no crash bracelets at all and there was no doubt that she would be dead if she should fell of her hoverboard. As she adapted to the height (she had never flown this high before) the girl casually explained that this was the usual altitude for her and her "comrades". It was crazy, she was fifteen meters above the ground, wearing no crash bracelets, flying with a velocity that was almost completely foreign to her. She was scared, there was no point in denying that, but the river was once again her "saviour".

As soon as it came into view their altitude and velocity dwindled, and soon she was flying only a few centimetres above the ground, the wet grass swooshing below her board. Her breathing got slower and she became calmer as she smelled the damp grass, while her hoverboard got coated with small water drops which made it slippery to keep balance on. Her legs hurt from exhaustion when they came to a halt. Fay received some pats on her back and words of encouragement. "So what is your plan? How will we cross this river?" Fay allowed herself a small smile as she showed them something similar to a rope, attached to her trousers. "This is what they use for experimenting in physics. It can endure a lot and has a self sticking mechanism, unless I reprogram it. So", she said, while she was searching for the small shotgun she had "kidnapped" from the lab, "I will attach it to the underside of the bridge. Bridges pick up body heat when you pass the river walking over them, but no one mentioned passing the stream under the bridge", Fay explained. They stared at her awestruck. "Well that is an interesting technique, there is an easier one but I guess you know what you do so we will follow your lead", the boy, who had introduced himself as Taynos, said. "Good." Truth was that she wasn't fit at all and therefore scared that her arms wouldn't be strong enough to bear her weight while holding onto the bridge's underside metal construction. If she would be brave enough she would climb without safety precautions. If she would fall, then the strong rope would prevent her from drowning (hopefully). She took the shotgun and aimed carefully, hitting the second last steel pillar. Uncertain she looked at her companions which did not show any reaction at all. "So", Fay begun, "let us go shall we?"

Taynos gestured her that she should go first. She did something similar to a climbing knot, attaching the rope safely at her trousers and gave the rest of the rope to her "friends" before she got hold of a steel rod. It was quadrangula and cold, hurting her hands with it's shape the longer she grabbed it. Slowly she climbed into the metal construction, which formed a grid with a hollow space between the rods and the bridge surface. She wondered why it was there, since it did not seem to serve a purpose. She crawled, always aware to which rod she hold on and therfore trusting her safety to. What seemed like minutes turned to hours, there was only her, her heartbeat, her breathing and the sound of the river beneath her. Fay completely forgot about Taynos and the girl behind her, all she was concentrated on was her body and it's task. It was something like a deep meditation (she remembered that she had read the word and it's definition before in a history book about cults) as she worked her way forward.

Finally she arrived at the bridge's end without needing her rope at all. Tayson and the girl who weren't as fast as her followed behind, the girl handing her the rope. "Thanks." Fay nodded. "No problem uhm..." She did not know the girl's name. "It's Nizza. If you were wondering about the name." Fay's eyebrow shot upwards. "Nizza? Wasn't that..?" She nodded. "Used to be a Babrian City." She looked around while noises floated through the air, fireworks and loud music, "polluted" with annoying high laughter. "Here we are. Now what?", Fay asked, a little bit uncertain. "Nothing will happen for today. You showed us that you have the right to belong to our group. We might be all brave but crashing a party is not in our repertoire. Yet", Tayson explained, stressing the "yet" which implied that he was not happy with whoever made this decision. "We will take a trip outside the city tomorrow. If you want to- you can come", Nizza quickly said, interfering in Tayson's sentence. Crashing a party seemed to be a touchy subject in the group and both of them had a different opinion. "I would love to", Fay said. "Good, you can wear your crash bracelets, by the way. They are untraceable. If you don't mind, Tayson and I will take a different way back to the dorms", Nizza added and before Fay could object, they disappeared in the park's deep shadows, leaving her alone.

Fay came back the exact way she had come (way faster as she felt safer), grabbing her hoverboard she had hidden in a bush near the bridge and glancing at the river for the last time, drawing in the beautiful colours of the skyline mirrored in the silvery water. She was hungry and tired, her ribs still hurting from her fall out of the window. This was a rough night and her body made sure to remind her the next morning.


	5. Year 2356 Month April Day 13

AN: Hello, I apologize for keeping you waiting so long. I had my final exams, and received my results today, I can enrol in the best university in Germany, there is! So happy!

Anyways, enjoy this chapter!

2365|04|13

Cold water sprayed on her face, as she followed the leader of their group. Her nose and finger tips hurt because of the cold unforgiving wind and the ice-like water which travelled through rocks and sprayed all over her. The air was damp and made breathing difficult, as she navigated through the nature, the stream and the group showing her where to fly. Nature was untouched here and Fay was awed by the beauty it possessed. Even though it was dark, the nature seemed to be radiating, glowing and whispering of forgotten days. She heard the yelling of people before her, but it seemed insignificant to the nature next to it. "Fay!" She looked to her group and noticed that she had fallen behind- she hurried to catch up with them. "It is fun, isn't it?", Tayson asked, flying next to the Ugly. Fun? Was that all they were about? Did they not notice the nature's beauty? "It is beautiful", Fay whispered instead and he looked at her with a strange expression. "Listen, we are here to have fun, do stuff, drink alcohol. Not talking about philosophy."

Alcohol was flowing that night and everything was in a haze. Fay (who had never drunk alcohol before) couldn't remember how she had made it back to the dorm, but she noticed new cuts and bruises next to the old ones, which she had gotten from her trip across the river. She had fallen most likely of her hoverboard and was so thankful that she had worn crash bracelets. She wasn't feeling well though, she had probably caught a cold because of wearing her damp clothes for too long. At first, she was disappointed, knowing that she wouldn't be able to meet her friends today. But while she stared at the wall she noticed that she didn't fit into the group at all. They were shallow, trying to have as much fun as possible, drinking alcohol and were overly as dumb as the new pretties across the river. Frustrated she threw her pillow against the wall and buried her head in her hands. Were all uglies idiots, and she therefore intelligent? Or did she just come across the wrong people, while being the plain average? Slowly she got up, opening her bathroom door and looked through her drawer, searching for a brush. When she had found one, she started entangling her hair, while she requested some medicine. The room said that she should go to a check up instead, since she was "sick" so often. This was when she realized that she played "sick" to often.

"Please, I will promise that I'll go and see a doctor, but could you just give me some medicine?"

"I am not authorized to do this", the room replied simply and she threw the brush annoyed into a corner. "Ok, I will, please make an appointment."

She left the room that evening, after she had a good sleep. She would eat some soup before being driven to the hospital.

She had noticed that she was quite sore after her trip, as she walked to the cantine. Some Uglies were scattered in it, talking in hushed voices, discussing planes. A few were studying, maybe because the study room was too full. She took a soup that was still left and sat down, almost burning her tongue. It was still hot. Fay ate alone, and left soon after, walking down the halls to the helipad. The lawn was freshly mowed, and she loved the sent, as she stepped out onto the roof where a hoverwagon was waiting for her. "Hello Fay, I will fly you to the hospital", the middle Pretty greeted her, opening the door to let her in. The blends were down, the hovercar was completely dark. "I apologize, the air conditioning isn't working today as it should. Otherwise it would be way too hot in the hovercar." Fay replied, that it was no problem at all before sitting down. "Having a cold? Don't worry, as soon as you are pretty you won't have to deal with that anymore. Boosted immune system." Fay chuckled. "Yes, I know." Some news were running in the background. New Pretty Committee meeting for their anual spring conference. "When will you change?" "In a few days."

Fay visited the nature quite often, the next few weeks. She was all well again, after taking the medicine the doctor prescribed her. Fay was always alone, enjoying the beauty and calming effect of the nature.

No one had found out so far, and she intended to keep it this way.


End file.
